Crimson Fate
by inuyashagirl22
Summary: And they thought it was all over. After 5 years of peace, trouble brews once again on the continent of Elibe and when his family is threatened, the Angel of Death has no other choice than to fight. JaffarxNino:EliwoodxNinian:HectorxFlorina:LynxRath:&more!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm baaacckk~~~ X3 MISS ME?!?! *dodges thrown objects* awwee… that's so sad, you guys didn't miss me at all… sob…

Well, anywayz, I suddenly had this intense urge to write a fire emblem fanfiction just because I can. No, I have not abandoned my other fics, its just… well yeah, I'm kinda at a loss for ideas and yeah… anyways, on with the JAFFARXNINO FLUFFINESS~~

This story is AU. AU in the sense that Jaffar does NOT leave like said in the game. But otherwise everything else is the same teehee~ Oh yeah… Jaffar might seem OOC but I guess married life does that to you eh? XP

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. I wouldn't be able to handle the awesomeness of owning such an epic game series.

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Jaffar grunted in annoyance as he felt his consciousness begin to awaken. Refusing to wake up, he simply buried his face deeper into the soft warmth and sighed, letting his mind drift off once again. That was until he heard giggles and the sound of rustling sheets in the room adjacent to the one he shared with his wife Nino. Finally admitting defeat, the former Black Fang assassin slowly opened his eyes only to be greeted by a mop of messy green hair. Jaffar let a small smile cross his usually stoic features as he watched his wife sleep peacefully. This was his favourite time of day, other than at night when he would get to watch Nino fall asleep, for he could study and memorize every single feature of the young sage's features even though he knew them like the back of his hand. Lifting the arm that was currently draped around his wife's exposed waist, he ran his hand gently through the mass of green hair, the silky strands passing easily through his long fingers. Usually Nino would have woken up by this time but Jaffar did not mind this unusual occurrence, for he was sure after their…activities last night, Nino would probably sleep in until late in the day.

When a loud thump followed by more giggles floated in from the next room, Jaffar forced his body to leave the comfort of his bed. Carefully moving his left arm which was pillowing Nino's head, he gently laid her head on one of the many pillows on their bed. The Angel of Death pulled the sheets up to cover the young sage's bare body as to avoid her from catching a cold. Looking around their small room, Jaffar soon located a pair of trousers that he put on. Deciding against opening the curtains to their room, Jaffar instead opted for sparing his wife one more glance before exiting his bedroom and opening the door to the twin's bedroom.

Jaffar leaned against the doorframe watching as his twin sons wrestled, or at least that's what he though they were doing judging from their movements and giggles, under the sheets of Lugh's bed. Walking over silently, Jaffar paused only a moment before lifting the sheets up revealing a pair of boys identical to each other looking up at him with wide baby blue eyes that were obviously inherited from their mother.

"Daddy!" they cried happily and launched themselves at him simultaneously.

After two years of having similar attacks like this from his sons, Jaffar found it a regular daily routine to be winded by the identical boys at least once per day.

"Why are you two up so early?" Jaffar asked, his voice softer than what he would normally use with any other person.

"We woke up because there was a noise outside," Lugh pulled on one of Jaffar's hands and made a small whining sound as if he was afraid that he might be scolded by his father.

Jaffar's senses immediately became alert. Noise? Could it be that another bounty hunter had come for him again? But the twins had obviously not finished their story as Rei began to tug at Jaffar to get his attention.

"But when we looked outside the window we saw nothing so it was all okay!" Rei grinned happily and flashed the former assassin a smile that he could only describe as a duplication of the one Nino so often gave him whenever she was happy.

"But after that we couldn't go back to sleep so then Rei came over to my bed and tried to teach me how to read…" Lugh continued happily and pointed to the open Thunder tome lying open at the foot of the bed.  
"But Lugh didn't get how to read one of the words and then when I tried to help him he jumped on me and then…" Rei drifted off and stared at his brother.

"…and then you started wrestling with each other," Jaffar finished quietly.

"Yeah!" the twin boys grinned happily up at the taller man. Had Jaffar been a different man, he would have let out a small chuckle, however being the person he was Jaffar simply stayed silent and offered his sons a tiny smile before kneeling down on one knee so that he was closer to their eye level.

"Go get changed," he gave them a light push towards the direction of the small dresser at the corner of the room which held all of the twin's regular clothes, "But you must be quiet since your mother is still sleeping."

Getting up from his crouched position, Jaffar quickly made his way to the door while stepping over the stray toys that littered the bedroom floor, "When you two are done you can come down for breakfast."

"Okay Daddy!" Lugh replied cheerfully, although in a much more subdued voice as he watched his father's back retreat out of the room.

Jaffar sighed and stretched his sore limbs, earning a few pop's and cracks. He headed towards the kitchen but stopped midway, instead, he turned back and went to the master bedroom to fetch a shirt and his Killing Edges which he hid under the cloth of this belt. Opening the back door and walking around the premises of the small hut which he called home, the former Black Fang member surveyed the surroundings carefully, taking in every meticulous detail. Stepping towards the side of the home which had the window from the twin's room, Jaffar searched the ground for any sign of disturbance that anyone had been there. Finding none, the lean yet muscular man let out a breath he did not know he was holding. Nevertheless, Jaffar affirmed, he would not let his guard down. Although the twins had not inherited any outward appearance features from him, they certainly did inherit his trait as a light sleeper. Unfortunately the master bedroom was too far from the twin's window for Jaffar to have heard anything, but he trusted his sons and knew that what they had heard was not imagined. It seemed like Jaffar would have to talk with Nino later on in the day, but until then, it seemed like a good precautionary idea to the red haired man to keep his daggers on him for the day.

Entering his home from the back entrance, Jaffar quickly made his way into the kitchen noting with mental relief that the twins had not arrived yet. It would be disastrous if they had played around in the kitchen without any adult supervision. The last time that had happened, they had nearly burned down the entire kitchen when they tried to ignite a fire underneath the stove with a simple Fire spell. Luckily Nino had arrived quick enough to subdue their magic and save their tiny little home from being burnt to ashes. Walking over to said stove, Jaffar kneeled and grabbed a match in the cabinet next to the stone appliance and lighted a small fire. Throwing in a couple of logs to encourage the flames, Jaffar set to making a simple breakfast consisting of eggs for his family. Usually Jaffar did not cook, but Nino had forced him to learn the basics when she had to go to an early doctors appointment only to come home late at night after a day of shopping and find that Jaffar had eaten nothing due to his lack of domestic skills. Jaffar had insisted that it was not necessary since during his days as an assassin, he never really minded going a day or two without food, but he gave in eventually because Nino would be happier and more at ease knowing that Jaffar wouldn't 'starve to death' if she was not home.

Closing his eyes and letting the heat of the stove warm his body, Jaffar stretched out his senses checking once again, to see if there were any suspicious people lurking around his home. Finding none, Jaffar opened his eyes and returned to the task at hand. Once the eggs were cooked, he slid them onto 4 different plates and placed them on the small table located underneath a window towards the farther wall of the kitchen. After putting out the fire and placing the pan in the sink, Jaffar stood there silently, staring into nothingness.

Had there really been someone lurking outside their home? It bothered Jaffar that he had not noticed it. Although the door to the twin's room was closed and it would've been impossible for the sound of footsteps on the grass outside to have reached him, Jaffar still felt as though he needed to protect his family more. Maybe he would go seek out Raven at the local mercenary barrack and spar with him later. It wouldn't hurt to further develop his skills even though he did not use them often anymore. Although his mind continued to wander, he was well aware of the sound of soft footsteps behind him. When the footsteps got closer, he was assailed by the scent of lilacs. Already well aware of the person behind him, Jaffar was not surprised in the least when a pair of slender, pale arms wrapped themselves around his waist.

"Good morning Jaffar," Nino mumbled into his back while giving him a squeeze.

"Nino," Jaffar let the name slip past his lips effortlessly as he turned around and returned the embrace. The white cotton gown that adorned Nino's small frame served only to emphasize the brilliant green shade of her hair, and that in turn, only served to enhance the gentle baby blue of her eyes.

"Where are the twins? Considering you made breakfast already I'm assuming they're awake," Nino looked around the kitchen, searching for identical mops of green hair.

"I left them to the task of changing themselves, but I do not think that they have been successful judging by the amount of time it is taking them," Jaffar replied smoothly.

"Then I guess we should go check up on them," Nino flashed him one of her breathtaking smiles and the assassin could not help but return a tiny one of his own. After all, Nino's happiness was infectious whether you wanted it to affect you or not.

As the couple approached the room of their sons, the rustling of clothes drifted towards them from the doorway that was ajar.

"I'm telling you Lugh, it's THIS way! You're putting it on all wrong!" came a frustrated whisper.

"But we got YOURS on! How come we can't just do the same for my shirt?" Lugh whispered back equally as frustrated.

"It just doesn't go on that way! See look!" a small squeak was followed by a muffled voice and more rustling of clothes.

Nino and Jaffar stood at the doorway, "I'm wondering whether or not I should really push open this door," Nino laughed quietly, "those two seem to get themselves into the weirdest situations possible. You would think that you wouldn't be able to mess up putting your clothes on but I actually don't want to see how they've messed this up."

Jaffar didn't reply, but instead wondered silently to himself whether or not it was a good idea to entrust his sons with the task of dressing themselves. At least they managed to stay quiet, he mused.

Reaching up to push the door open with his hand, Jaffar looked inside only to see Rei trying to push Lugh's head through the sleeve of a shirt. They managed to put their trousers on correctly, Jaffar noted, but Rei's shirt was on backwards and Lugh was no where close to getting his on.

Looking at the situation before her, Nino let loose a peal of laughter before rushing forwards and taking the shirt gently from Rei's hands and putting Lugh's head through the correct hole.

"Mommy!" They greeted happily and hugged her.

"Having trouble with getting dressed now are we?" Nino laughed merrily while fixing Rei's shirt. The sight of her sons blushing from embarrassment merely sent another fit of giggles through the cheery young woman, "Why don't we go eat the breakfast that daddy made for us before it gets cold hmm?"

Forgetting their embarrassment, the twins cheered happily and ran towards the doorway where their father was standing before attaching themselves to his legs.

"Carry us daddy?" Rei asked with pleading eyes.

"Yeah daddy! Carry us please?" Lugh chimed in, taking the pleading up a notch adding in the puppy dog eyes.

Wordlessly, Jaffar kneeled down and effortlessly picked up the two boys and placed them on either of his shoulders. The two laughed merrily while being swung up and once on their perch, they began urging their father towards the kitchen towards their waiting breakfast.

Nino smiled to herself as she watched the scene unfold before her. Though Jaffar had often questioned his abilities as a father, Nino did not doubt him in the least. Jaffar may not have been the most vocal and or cheerful father a person could ask for, but he loved his family dearly and would clearly do anything to protect their happiness. Not to mention it was obvious that the red haired man loved seeing his children happy just as much as he loved seeing his wife smile, and though he would never say it, Nino was certain that playing with his sons would be a pastime that Jaffar would miss when the twins grew older.

Following the laughter towards the kitchen, Nino watched as Jaffar gently lowered Lugh and Rei so that their feet were planted firmly on the ground before letting go.

"Thank you Daddy!" they gave their father one last hug before racing towards their seat and munching on their food.

Jaffar turned to watch his wife slowly join them before taking a seat himself. Breakfast passed without much event, except for Rei choking on his food due to eating it too quickly, but Nino quickly fixed that with a glass of water and a few pats to the back.

"What are you going to do today Jaffar? It's your day off isn't it? Lord Eliwood said that you would be able to have the weekends off if I'm not mistaken…" Nino asked as she looked questioningly at her husband.

Jaffar nodded, "I was hoping I could teach Lugh and Rei some basic self defence work today."

Nino raised an eyebrow. Self defence? That was odd. Why would Jaffar want to teach Lugh and Rei self defense out of the blue? Furthermore, it was clear that they had an aptitude for magic rather than any sort of physical form of fighting. Noting Nino's confusion, Jaffar simply shook his head, silently telling her that they would talk once the twins were elsewhere.

"Really? Daddy's gonna teach us stuff?" Lugh asked with wide eyes, his voice full of excitement. It was rare that their father taught them anything, it was usually their mother who taught them how to cast simple spells.

Jaffar nodded slowly and picked up the now empty plates that were on the table. Nino forced a cheery smile on her face before facing the twins, "Why don't you two go outside and play in the backyard while daddy gets ready?"

Only too happy to oblige, Lugh and Rei scrambled out the back door apparently thinking the quicker they got there, the quicker they would be able to learn. Once they were out of earshot and Nino had closed the door so that it was open enough for them to keep watch on the twins but not be overheard.

"What's wrong Jaffar?" Nino immediately asked, not even bothering to confirm if there was anything wrong to begin with.

"Lugh and Rei said they heard a noise outside their window earlier this morning," Jaffar stated in a serious tone, "I've already checked around the house but it seems that there are no traces of anyone being here."  
Nino's eyes widened and her face paled a bit, "Do you think it's another bounty hunter Jaffar? We haven't had any trouble ever since Lord Eliwood helped us move closer to the castle. Lugh and Rei aren't ones to imagine things though, they may not know it but they have senses nearly as sharp as yours and –"

Jaffar cut her off with a hush, "I am already on alert. I have my daggers on me and if need be, I will fight to protect you and our sons. Nino, I believe it would be best if you carried an Elfire tome with you today," he said while reaching up towards one of the high shelves on the wall and plucking a book out of the several lined up against the wall.

"Oh Jaffar… do you think we'll be alright? It's been 2 years since we've had any trouble with bounty hunters… and to have to run with Lugh and Rei? They're old enough to know when something is wrong, we wouldn't be able to just hide it from them!" Nino blabbered, clearly on the verge of tears as she accepted the book from her husband's hands.

Jaffar pulled her close and hugged her with a fierceness she had not felt since their days travelling with Lord Eliwood's army, "It…will be alright, we'll find a way to—" his sentence broke off as his body tensed. Nino tensed too as she felt the same unknown, murderous presence that was in their backyard.

Jaffar immediately burst through the back door and leapt towards his sons. The black figure that was hovering behind them was about to grab them had the assassin not startled it by his movement. Grabbing Lugh and Rei and hugging them protectively to his body, Jaffar immediately rolled to the side as Nino summoned forth a large burst of flame at the figure.

"Daddy? Daddy, what's going on? Daddy?" Lugh asked, fear evident in his voice. His twin was no different and they both looked about confusedly while still held in Jaffar's protective grasp.

Finally settling their sights on the black figure that was currently engulfed in flames, terror began to set in and the twins clung to their father, tears starting to gather in their eyes.

Jaffar looked down at his sons and cursed mentally. He had to get them out of harms way but with the way things were now, no where was safe unless either him or Nino were with them.

"Nino," Jaffar called out as he ran towards his wife. Prying his sons tiny hands away from his shirt, Jaffar could only reassure them quietly that it would be all right even as he unsheathed his daggers and took up a fighting stance that exuded every bit of power as it did years ago when he was still an active assassin.

Nino gently pushed Lugh and Rei so that they were behind her. Never once taking her eyes off of the black figure, she raised her hands, ready to cast another spell if need be.

Suddenly, without warning, the flames that engulfed the figure immediately extinguished with a burst of wind. Without losing a second, Jaffar immediately attacked. Dashing towards his enemy with a speed only the Angel of Death could ever have, Jaffar leapt over the enemy and made an upwards slash to the back of the figure. The figure dodged to the right and unsheathed what seemed to be an iron sword. The two opponents circled each other, Jaffar's face was blank and emotionless while his eyes were cold and calculating, the very sight of it brought back so many memories to the young sage that she had to remind herself several times that she had to remained focused on the enemy for her family's sake.

Jaffar studied his opponent. It was clear that he would have to make the first move. Currently, his best choice of action was to either disarm or break the person's weapon. Without any warning, Jaffar suddenly leapt into the air and brought his right dagger down in a downwards strike. The figure parried easily but the force of the strike had left a chip in his sword. Iron was a cheap and weak metal after all. Ripping his right dagger away from the blade, the figure certainly did not expect a second blow with the left dagger in the exact same spot. The force of the blow shattered the sword in half; Jaffar landed lightly and jumped back, raising his hands in a defensive position.

Lugh and Rei were now silently crying, sniffs and hiccups coming out of them occasionally, but otherwise, they tried to remain as silent as possible as to not distract their father. Jaffar cursed mentally for the second time that day, he had to end this quick somehow, but in order to do that he would have to kill this man, and that meant murdering someone before his sons' eyes.

Unexpectedly, the figure began to laugh, the black cloak and hood that shadowed the person's face trembled with the force of the laughter.

"So… you are the legendary Angel of Death… Nice to see that you have not lost your edge at all," the man's voice was low.

"Who are you?" Jaffar demanded with a cold, emotionless voice.

"Me? Why, I'm no one special… I've simply come before you in the place of my master… you see, my master has great plans to take over this world and I was sent to gather warriors that I thought would be beneficial to his plans. Whom other to ask than the great Angel of Death? The man who was said to have been found as an infant sleeping atop a pile of corpses, the most deadly man on the continent!" the man laughed manically.

"You're wrong! Jaffar has changed," Nino shouted, tears starting to form in her baby blue eyes, "He's different from back then. You know nothing, and Jaffar would certainly never work for the likes of _you_," she hissed.

"Oh? And who do we have here? You must be Nino… ah yes, I've heard about you. You come from the family of the most powerful sages don't you? Such a pity they died, they would've been beneficial to my master's plan as well… But then again, you could be the next best thing, perhaps –"

"I would _never_ even consider helping a man who dares to harm my family!" Nino seethed, "Go. Away! _Elfire!"_ Nino conjured up a blast much larger than her previous one, proof of her anger and protectiveness of her family.

Engulfed in flames once more, the figure laughed ominously, "very well. But don't think this is the last time you'll see me. After all, your other friends would be helpful as well… and soon, this world will be ruled by Lord Varin! Just you wait, Angel of Death… just you wait." His voice disappeared into the wind and soon there was no trace of him ever being there.

Jaffar did not let down his guard however, he still felt the magic in the area and he knew that though the person had left, he still had another spell to cast. Sure enough, without warning, the broken shards of the sword floated up and hurled themselves towards Nino and the twins. Running with a speed he didn't know he possessed, Jaffar expertly blocked the shards and they fell to the floor harmlessly. With that, the last trace of magic dissipated from the yard.

"Jaffar… what are we gong to do…?" Nino asked tearfully as she hugged her sons close to her body in an effort to comfort their tears.

The assassin stood silent for a moment before turning to face his family, and with a low, frustrated voice he said, "Pack quickly. We leave for Castle Pharae immediately."

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A/N: HOW WAS IT??!! I hope I haven't lost my touch… oh dear. Well, read and review~~ because that always makes my day!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: HEYY~~ I'm back with a second chapter in tow! Enjoy =)

Note: yeah slight AU, slight OOC with some people… uhhh… slightly talkative Jaffar? I don't know… also… I'm thinking maybe I'll make Rei an anima mage… just cuz I don't want to have to deal with different spells hahaha… by the way, the twins are 4 years old.

Disclaimer: I don't own the epicness called Fire Emblem. I certainly wish I did.

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"Mommy? Daddy? Why do we have to leave?" Rei asked in a timid voice in between sniffles and sobs as he watched his father hurriedly put on a well worn grey travelling cape and a tight matching grey muscle shirt.

"Rei, there's no time for questions right now okay sweetie? Mommy promises she'll explain everything once we go see Lord Eliwood," Nino rushed to fasten a tiny cloak around each of the twins. She herself had already finished putting on her purple cape as well as her travelling clothes that consisted of her old white dress with a blue tunic on top.

"Do we have everything?" Nino asked in a panicked voice while running her eyes over their home once more, trying to think if they had forgotten anything.

"We have no time left. We must leave now," Jaffar stated hastily as he walked out of the twin's room with a small travelling pack filled with extra clothes, "Nino, did you get your Heal staff?"

"Yeah, I got all my spell books and staves. I also packed a few extra weapons for you in case," Nino quickly peered into the bag sitting on the floor beside her, "I've already gotten some food rations in case we have to make a detour."

"We should be able to reach the palace within half a day. We will arrive before nightfall if we move quickly." Jaffar wasted no time and hauled the two packs over his shoulder and headed for the door.

Nino placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "I'll take the bags, you have to carry Lugh and Rei so that we will be able to move quicker. It would only take us an hour max if we could ride our horses but that would attract too much attention," she slipped the straps from her husband's shoulder and slung it over her own.

Jaffar nodded and kneeled down facing the direction of his sons who were still standing confusedly near the master bed, "Lugh. Rei," he said gently while opening his arms in a gesture that meant he would carry them.

More than eager to be held in their father's grasp, the twins bolted towards Jaffar and buried their faces into his shoulders. Picking them up swiftly, Jaffar nodded to Nino. Sparing one last glance at their home, the couple dashed out the door and towards Castle Pharae.

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Their travel had taken longer than expected as they had run into quite a numerous amount of bandits and thugs around the rural streets of Pharae. Avoiding them had taken up more time than Jaffar would've liked, but nevertheless, they managed to reach the castle by nightfall.

"Who's there? Identify yourselves!" A guard yelled from his position at the castle entrance, his spear pointed in a defensive stance. The torch hanging from the wall to his left flickered.

"It is I, Nino the mage! I am accompanied by my husband Jaffar and our two sons. I seek an audience with Lord Eliwood for there is something urgent we must discuss with him!" Nino approached slowly with her hands raised in a gesture that signalled she was of no harm.

"Nino? Did you say Nino?" A low, male voice from the shadows questioned incredulously.

Tightening his embrace on his two currently sleeping sons, Jaffar narrowed his eyes into the darkness and found the location of the voice. Relaxing instantly, Jaffar turned to greet the person emerging from the shadows, "Hurricane."

True enough, the lavender haired assassin stepped out of the shadows, he looked the same as always, the same smirk on his face and the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes. If it were not for several additional wrinkles around his eyes, one would have surely thought that the former Black Fang member was ageless.

"Uncle Legault!" Nino cried happily and waved.

Legault laughed sheepishly, "I thought I remembered telling you to stop calling me that, it makes me feel old… but I guess old habits die hard eh Nino?" Stepping closer to the family, his face returned to seriousness once more, "I'm assuming you're here to tell Lord Eliwood that you were attacked correct?"

"How do you know?" Jaffar was in no mood for games, if whoever attacked them had already started attacking others, that meant that they would have to move quickly and assemble an army.

"Lets just say you're not the first family to arrive…" Legault dismissed it with a wave of his hand and lead them inside the gates. The courtyard was silent but Jaffar could see the many guards hidden in the shadows, and occasionally he saw a thief or two (he was positive one was Mathew) slipping around in the shadows, but judging by their actions, he knew them not to be enemies.

Walking down a long marble hallway, the footsteps from Nino's well worn boots made a soft pitter-patter that echoed throughout the hall. Jaffar, even with the extra weight of his sons, made no sound at all, his sandals seeming to barely touch the ground as he followed his old comrade swiftly.

Finally reaching a large oaken door, Legault knocked once before pushing the door open silently. Jaffar heard Nino inhale sharply, it was not the grandiose appearance of the room that caused this, rather the number of people already here. Rebecca and Lowen were standing off by the window, both their weapons armed and clearly they were on edge. Lyn and Rath sat silently on the couch next to an exhausted but serene looking Ninian while Eliwood did his best to support his tired wife. Across from them on a separate sofa, Hector sat with his arms around his wife Florina, however the serious brooding look on the blue haired man's face showed he was clearly not in the least bit pleased at all. Harken and Isadora stood on either side of the doorway acting as guards and they gave a small nod to both Jaffar and Nino as they entered. Amongst the people named, there were still several others. Pent, Louise and Wil stood off to one side quietly discussing something while Sain, Kent and Guy paced the floor quietly. Fiora and Farina sat back to back on the floor and had their eyes closed, but Jaffar could tell from their breathing that they were not sleeping, but rather, thinking heavily upon something. Marcus was the first one to step forward and greet them, "Jaffar, Nino, it is certainly a relief to see you two alive and well."

Jaffar did not reply, but instead nodded back in thanks. Nino on the other hand looked around her with wide eyes, "has everyone in here been attacked?"

"Not everyone," Eliwood cut in with a low voice, he looked at the couple with his noble blue eyes, "some of us are here because of our desire to protect our friends, while others feel the need to protect their godchildren or nieces and nephews."

Ninian glanced at the sleeping children in Jaffar's arms and she smiled tiredly, "would you like to put your children somewhere to sleep? They can go sleep with the rest of the children in the room down the hall," the crimson eyed girl offered gently.

Nino smiled back in gratitude, "Yeah… that'd be much appreciated, Jaffar has been carrying them ever since we started travelling."

"Oh not at all, it's nothing," Ninian smiled warmly as she stood up, "come with me and I can take you to the room."

Trailing behind the half dragon woman, Ninian led them to a room filled with tiny beds and Nino could see so many other children sleeping soundly.

"Ah, another family?" Lucius greeted warmly as he opened the door, "Nino! Jaffar! Blessed St. Elimine, it certainly is a relief to see you safe and sound," the monk ushered them in quietly, careful as to not awake any other young ones.

Searching around for an empty bed, Lucius finally found one bed near the window. Approaching quietly, Jaffar saw a small girl with long, dark blue hair sleeping soundly in the bed next to the one the twins were assigned.

"Daddy…" she mumbled and hugged her stuffed bunny tighter in her arms.

"That's Lilina, Lord Hector and Lady Florina's daughter. She's an adorable little child isn't she?" Lucius smiled and lifted the sheets motioning for Jaffar to place the twins underneath.

Gently prying his sons' fisted hands from his shirt, Jaffar gently laid the two down and watched as they immediately clutched on to each other like their life depended on it.

"They've had quite the fright today I'm guessing… many of the other children were like that too when they first came," the blonde monk tucked the sheets up under their chins and smoothed the sides of the bed. Turning to face Nino and Jaffar again, he gave a small bow and said, "I'm sorry, I've been rude. May I ask the names of your two little boys…?"

"Oh! Yes of course, Lugh is the one with the brown cloak," Nino gestured to the child sleeping closest to the window, "and Rei is the one with the black cloak," moving her hand to indicate the child sleeping facing Lugh.

"Lugh and Rei… those are wonderful names," Lucius complimented warmly.  
"Thank you Lucius," Nino smiled in return, just as she was about to turn to return to the other adults, Jaffar stopped her and reached into their pack and withdrew a Fire tome. He gently tucked it under the twins' arms and nodded to Lucius, "a precaution," he explained.

The monk nodded in understanding and lead the two back out the room to a waiting Ninian. Walking back to the meeting room without his two sons, Jaffar couldn't help the uneasy feeling that was building in the back of his mind.

"So… should we start talking? I certainly doubt we'll get any more people here today for it IS rather late after all," Lyn began uncertainly.

Hector made a face close to a grimace, "you're probably right. The sooner we start talking, the sooner we can figure out what the heck it is we're going against this time. I swear I'm getting too old for this," he added on as a mumble.

"We're all getting a bit too old for this Hector," Eliwood chided, "but we have no other choice, I would rather die fighting to protect my son rather than watch him almost get kidnapped again."

"But who is that person?" Nino demanded quietly, "the man who attacked us said that his master Lord Varin or something was going to try to take over the world!"

The room went silent and Jaffar put a hand on his wife's shoulder in an action that was meant to comfort her.

Finally Hector let out a frustrated sigh and raked his hand through his hair, "Seriously, what's with crazy people and taking over the world? First Nergal and now this Lord Varin person?"

"Well that's pretty much the only bit of information we have to work with if you think about it," Farina said, "that guy disappeared too quick for us to get anymore information out of him."  
"So then basically we've been reduced to waiting for another attack to gain more information," Rath stated simply.

"But isn't there any other way? I'd rather not sit around and wait for these people to attack my family," Rebecca frowned.

"There's nothing else we can do," Eliwood shook his head sadly, "It's just like Rath said, we have to wait for another attack before we can gather more information."

Frustration consumed Jaffar's mind even though he appeared as calm and collected as always. Wait for another attack? What if this time they succeeded in kidnapping Rei or Lugh? What would he do then? Certainly he was the most feared man on the continent but not even he could do anything if his children were being used against him. The feeling of uneasiness started to grow within Jaffar. What if he couldn't protect his family? No, he could not think of that. Surely if he lost either Nino or one of his sons he would die of guilt at not being able to protect them. Looking around the room, he was sure the very same thing that was running through his head was running through the minds of every single father gathered there today.

"Perhaps," Pent voiced slowly, "We can send spies to different provinces in hopes to attain more information and from there we-" he was cut off by a loud crash of a window breaking and the screams of several children.

Before anything actually registered in Jaffar's mind, he was already out the door and running towards the room where the young ones were sleeping. Just as Jaffar burst in the door closely followed by Pent and Eliwood and then the slower ones, he saw Lucius unleash a powerful Luce spell against the 4 legged beast that stood amongst the shattered pieces of glass.

"Children! Get behind me now!" Lucius yelled as he unleashed another spell.

Many small bodies scrambled from their beds towards the monk, some of them tripping and stumbling on their way but managing to get to safety.

Lilina who had the bed closest to the window however was not as fortunate as the other children. As she was running, she tripped and fell on the floor, the glass shards cutting her skin lightly leaving faint scratch marks.

"Lilina!" a small boy with flame red hair cried tearfully as he began to run to help his friend.

"ROY NO!" Ninian screamed and tried to grab a hold of her son but missed him by a fraction of an inch.

"Lilina, hurry you have to get up!" Roy screamed frantically and pulled at his friend while keeping a fearful eye on the beast. However his screaming had garnered the attention of the black monster and piercing blood red eyes focused on the two trembling children who were now frozen in fear.

"LILINA!" Hector roared and charged, raising his axe high in the air and bringing it down with such a force that the floor beneath the monster cracked a bit. The monster parried with a single large claw and Hector was forced to leap back. Unfortunately, the beast still had its eyes on the two children. Soon, arrows were flying from the archers and many of the parents had taken inventory of the children.

Nino glanced around frantically for her twin sons but there was no green hair in sight amongst the many children.

"Jaffar!" Nino screamed hysterically, "I CAN'T FIND LUGH AND REI!"

Hearing Nino's distressed scream, Jaffar immediately began to search the room for any sign of his sons, finally spotting them huddled together in the shadows towards the corner of the room behind the beast, Jaffar ran forwards trying to reach them. However his sudden movement had only served to alarm the monster causing it to attack the assassin with a large clawed paw.

Roy and Lilina were wailing loudly while clinging to each other. However despite Hector and Eliwood's attempts to save their children, the monster kept deflecting their blows which seemed almost to have no effect.

With a mighty roar, the beast raised a claw and pulled the sobbing Lilina closer to it's body, dragging a distressed Roy who refused to let go of his friend despite the utter terror reflected in his eyes. Suddenly, something happened that scared the Angel of Death witless.

"LET HER GO!" Lugh and Rei screamed together. It was as though time had stopped for Nino and Jaffar. The fear that coursed through their veins was unlike anything they had ever felt before and for a moment, Jaffar felt true dread and helplessness.

It all happened in slow motion. Nino gazed in horror as her twin sons raised the single Fire tome that they were clutching and watched as the magic around them began to swirl dangerously. They had the most powerful magic running through their veins and they had no idea how to control it. The pages to the Fire tome flipped rapidly and Nino's scream was drowned out by the single loud spell that seemed to echo within all the chaos, "_FIRE!"_

A blast more powerful than many sages would've ever been able to conjure crashed into the beast knocking it into the far wall with a loud crash. The sheer amount of magic that the twins had produced however created a back lash and they were sent tumbling into the wall behind them.

Suddenly, it was as though time resumed it's normal pace. Lyn charged at the monster with her Mani Katti and attacked with such speed that she became a blur. Spells of all kinds were flying everywhere but they all seemed to meet their target which was now slowly recovering.

"Heads up!" Farina yelled out just as she and her two sisters threw their javelins with deadly accuracy. All of the close range fighters leapt back as the three projectiles lodged themselves in the monster's right hind leg.

Amidst all the chaos and fighting, Nino made a mad dash towards her sons and husband who was already by their side.

"Lugh! Rei!" Nino cried as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Mommy?" The two boys looked up from their current embrace with their father, "MOMMY!" they ran to hug her as she fell to her knees.

"Don't ever do that again. Oh St. Elimine, don't you two EVER do that again…" Nino sobbed, "you scared mommy and daddy so much."

"Nino, get them to safety!" Jaffar yelled over the noise and whipped out his Killing Edges before running to join the fray.

"Dammit, why won't this thing just DIE?!" Nino heard the Ostian Lord roar as he made another mighty swing towards the beast.

Running as quickly as she could, Nino managed to bring her sons to the group of children huddled within the shield Ninian had created.

"Clarine!" Louise shouted over the noise towards her 7 year old daughter who was clutching a staff, "Heal the children who are injured!" The blonde sniper ordered as she released another flurry of arrows.

"Yes mother!" the golden haired girl kneeled next to the still sobbing Lilina who was clutching an equally distressed Roy.

Taking a deep breath, the older girl gave a shaky smile to the teary younger one, "stay still okay Lilina? I promise this won't hurt a bit…_Heal!_" a warm light bathed the Ostian princess's body before fading away, leaving the girl clear of any scratches.

Nino dropped her two sons there and with a rushed command telling them to stay put, Nino ran back to the battle.

"Aim for the head!" Rath shouted and launched two successive arrows, one after another, both of them lodging into the monster's head causing it to wail in pain.

"Jaffar! Take out one of it's legs to make it immobile!" Eliwood yelled as he parried a swipe from a giant claw. Without any hesitation, the assassin twirled his daggers in his signature killing move and charged with such a speed that it was as though he had disappeared. Jaffar appeared behind the beast and with a mighty blow of his Killing Edges, he sliced off the beast's hind leg in a spray of crimson blood. Leaping back along with the other warriors, Jaffar watched as the monster roared in pain. However no one was prepared for what was about to happen next. From the limb that had been cut off, a smaller version of the beast began to mutate and take form.

"Dammit Eliwood, I thought you said making it immobile would HELP us!" Hector raged, clearly more frustrated than he let on.

Eliwood could only stare in horror as the second beast slowly lumbered onto it's newly grown legs, it's blood red eyes scanning the faces of the warriors before finally settling on the children.

"Oh no you don't!" Legault yelled and leapt up atop the black monster. Even plunging his two daggers into it's back did not stop it from making a mighty leap towards the petrified children.

Ninian's eyes widened in horror before she raised her arms and fortified the shield more just as the creature rammed into it. The force of that alone sent Ninian sprawling to the ground, but not once did she let her shield waver.

"Mother!" Roy cried tearfully.  
"I'm okay sweetheart," Ninian stood shakily, she managed a small smile for her son, "everything will be alright."

Suddenly a giant blast of fire knocked into the creature.

"Step away from the children," Pent glared, his arm raised offensively with the Elfire tome raised.

"Father!" a young boy yelled, no older than 10.

"Stay inside the shield Klein!" Pent yelled as he dodged a pounce.

"But…!" the boy protested.

"No buts! You'll get hurt if you – augh!" the Mage General cried out in pain as he was sent sprawling to the floor.

"Father!" Klein watched fearfully. Searching around him, he picked up a stray bow and arrow and fired at the beast. The arrow lodged itself within the monster's neck and the beast fell lifeless to the floor. Pent stared in shock before yelling out to his comrades, "aim for the neck!"

Immediately, all the archers responded and began diverting their arrows to said spot. Wil scowled as another arrow missed the intended spot and instead burrowed itself on the monster's shoulder.

"We can't hit it! It's moving around too much! You have to distract it or something if you want us to hit it!" Wil yelled as he began firing some more.

"Consider it done!" Harken dashed around the beast behind it and with a slash of his Light brand, an arc of magic hurled itself at the monster. This of course got it's attention and it slowly started to turn around and face the Hero. Isadora, never one to abandon her husband, leapt up and plunged a lance into the monster's back before picking up a stray Silver Lance and running to stand beside her spouse.

Rath was quickly running out of arrows, every attempt he made to shoot the creature's neck was always either evaded or off the target. He had no idea how a beast as large as this could even dodge such a large amount of arrows. It seemed as though they were fighting a demon itself!

"It's still moving too much!" Rebecca cried as she refilled her quiver.

Nino let loose another Elfire spell before an idea struck her.

"Lord Pent! This way!" Nino yelled out as she dashed out into the hallway. The older sage followed her immediately.

"Nino where are you going?!" he asked while glancing back at the battle they had just left.

"We need to get my Fimbulvtr tome! It's the only way we can stop it from moving around!" Nino said as she swung open the doors to the meeting room. Digging through her bag frantically, she pulled out two silvery blue books. Throwing one to Pent, they immediately made their way back.

"Keep it busy!" Nino cried as she began to chant the spell, a cold wind gathering around her. Beside the green haired woman, the Mage General began to do the same.

The close range fighters did not need to be told twice, many of them charged forwards and began launching numerous attacks, however occasionally, one of them would be thrown back only to rejoin the fight.

Lyn spared a glance towards the two sages as she did a back flip. Seeing the telltale signs of a nearly completed spell, she managed to yell in a hoarse voice, "Get back!"

Nino opened her eyes and let the magic in her veins flow out of her hands, summoning a deep breath, she called out the final word to her incantation simultaneously with Pent, "_Fimbulvetr!"_

Seemingly infinite ice shards materialized in the air magically and plunged towards the feet of the monster freezing it into place. The creature roared in frustration as the ice became thicker and thicker. Thrashing it's head around in an attempt to get free, one of the shards hit it around it's shoulder causing a layer of thick ice to spread over it's neck.

"We can't pierce the ice!" Louise cried as she sent arrow after arrow only to have them deflect harmlessly off the smooth crystal like ice.

"It's breaking free!" Lucius cried in horror as cracks began to appear in the silvery blue frost. Suddenly out of nowhere, a wyvern plunged into the room straight at the creature. The rider on it's back plunged a lance straight through the ice and into the neck. With one last roar, the creature fell to it's side lifeless. Hector panted and stared at the wyvern, why the hell did it look so recognizable?

"Need a hand?" a familiar man with green hair and a white streak waved from his position on the wyvern's back. Behind him sat a fair young lady with rogue red hair.

Eliwood didn't now whether to laugh or cry and found that words escaped him. Luckily for the lord, his blue haired friend spoke instead, "Dammit Heath, where have you _been_?!"

XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoX

A/N: Oh dear, I suck crap at writing fighting scenes… this fight dragged on for like 4 pages HAHA… I hope I haven't bored any of you to death… read and review!


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